Nexus of Fate
by Disturbed Turtle
Summary: Sequel to Nexus. After the events of Nexus, what will happen now that everything has settled? Has it really settled? What will happen now that a new threat rises and the broken team is forced to face their new nemesis while dealing with their own personal problems? AR, some OOC, various pairings, death, dark themes, talk of suicide, angst, adventure, psuedo-science.
1. Albatross

Disclaimer: I do not now or before and most likely not in the future, own Final Fantasy, Square Enix or any of the characters.

A/N: This is a sequel to Nexus so it would be a good idea to read Nexus first before this, otherwise, none of this will make much sense. I had a mixed reaction to Nexus, so I started this sequel. I don't really have a whole plot line for this just yet, only this chapter, so if you want more of this sequel, let me know. (I don't know what you want unless you tell me.)

This will NOT be a yaoi story. There will be sex, angst and dark themes throughout the entirety of this story. I will NOT post warnings in any other chapters after this one. Consider this your one and only warning. I will also try to limit any flashbacks to the minimum, but I love writing and reading flashbacks and sometimes I find a flashback is needed so if you don't like flashbacks, too bad. I will not have any warnings in the chapters telling of the flashback so if you don't like flashbacks, just skip the italicized parts if you want or whatever you like to do with flashbacks. I told someone before that I don't put flashbacks in just willy-nilly. If I put in a flashback, then there is a damn good reason for it.

I do not have a beta for this yet because I haven't asked my betas for my other stories if they would like to beta this one. So if you find any mistakes you can either ignore them or enjoy them. I do.

* * *

"I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure - which is: Try to please everybody." -Herbert Bayard Swope

Chapter 1

~Albatross~

The dirty blonde's cigarette hung from his lips in a dangerous game of 'to be burned or not be burned.' The dirt and rocks dug into his back and his sweat lined T-shirt picked up some of the particles, making a strange mud-like coating on the once white article of clothing. Looking up, he fixed the wrench on the bolt that held on the engine covering and twisted it to loosen the offending piece of metal. When it jerked down from gravity, he slipped to the side and barely missed the sharp edge as it fell to the ground with a clank. This was when he lost his temper, "Gaia-Dammit! Sorry-ass piece of shit!"

Getting his hands to the outer body of the plane, he leveraged his way out from under the wrecked aircraft. The bright sun shone down in a shower of heat. Covering his eyes, he startled at his just now seen, and unwelcomed company, "What the fuck do you want?!"

Sitting on the ground with his knees drawn up, his arms wrapped tightly around his legs and with a tilt of his head, he studied the dirty grease-covered man.

"I know you can talk, so just stop that silent shit right now," Getting to his feet, he quickly wiped at his hair and pulled his cigarette from his mouth. Blowing out a long puff of smoke, he narrowed his eyes in the mid-day sunlight, "Would you stop fucking staring at me like that? That really creeps me the fuck out." Reaching in to the cockpit, he pulled out his PHS.

"Shera! Come get me!" Pausing to listen to the woman on the other end of the line, Cid turned his back to the blond man sitting on the ground. At his turn to talk, he whispered, "What do you mean that the buggy isn't working? I fixed the fucking thing last week!" With another pause, his face paled at Shera's information, "Vincent broke it? What the fuck is he doin driving the fuckin buggy?!" Glancing over his shoulder he turned back and whispered, "Never mind that… Is there anyone who can come get me cause this piece of shit biplane crashed."

Stopping to listen again, Cid looked back over his shoulder and the man still hadn't moved. Walking around to the other side of the plane, he hoped to have some privacy.

After running his fingers through his hair nervously, he took the cigarette from between his lips again and exhaled a cloud of smoke, "Fine, fine. I'll just pull the camping gear out… -Wait. What do ya mean you took the camping shit out of the cargo hold?" Making his way to the hold, he kicked at the latch and the door creaked open with a small billow of dust, "Gaia dammit Shera! Now what am I supposed to do?!"

A tap on his shoulder frightened him. As he turned, his phone flipped in the air, he jerked backward and screamed, "Oh, Gaia in heaven! What the fuck is your problem?" Clutching at his chest, he accidentally stepped on his last pack of cigarettes that fell from his pants pocket, "Oh sweet Minerva's bubble bath!" Glaring at the man who scared him, he clenched his teeth, "That was my last pack!"

 _"…Hello! Cid, are you there?!"_

Snatching the phone from the more than helpful man who'd caught it in mid-air, he spoke into the mouth piece, "Yeah, I'm here. Listen, I'll rough it for tonight. See if you can get a hold of Seph or Zack to come get me… Well I would, but my phone battery is almost dead… hello, Shera!… Are you there? Shera! Hello…?!" Gripping the phone tightly, he started to throw it against a large rock but didn't. Instead, he kicked up a thick cloud of dust as he flapped his arms in a hilarious dance that could only be described as a temper tantrum, "Mother-fuckin piece of monkey shit-stained behemoth-lovin kitty FUCKERS!" Turning back to the other man, Cid's forehead resembled a road map. Every vein that he attributed to his colleagues being able to measure his stress level was protruding and throbbing.

Finally the visitor spoke, "I could take you."

Narrowing his eyes at the man, he spoke slowly, "Oh no! How do I know that you won't kill me or something?"

Tilting his head, the other man asked, "If I were going to kill you, don't you think that I would have done that weeks ago when Sephiroth and Zackary Fair first brought me to you?"

"You got a point there," Walking away from the other man, Cid stalled, "Listen I appreciate you tryin to help me and all, but I gotta find someplace to camp until one of those asshole wanna-bes gets here."

"I'll keep you company then, this is a dangerous area to be alone in," Tilting his head, the bright glowing green of his eyes twinkled in the setting sun.

Cid was essentially being chased as he continued to try and put some distance between himself and the silver-winged man, "Okay, I get that, but I can take care of my damn self!"

Following the furious pilot, the blond recounted sadly, "If something were to happen to you while I were here, they would all think it was my fault and would find further reason to despise me."

Pulling some gil from his pocket, he pushed it into the hands of the green-eyed Cloud, "If you wanna help me, then git your winged ass to the nearest store and bring me back some damned cigarettes."

Eyeing the money in his hand, he flicked it in his fingers before making eye contact, "Smoking cigarettes is bad for your health. I cannot contribute to your self-harm. So again it goes back to the others hating me for hurting you by my action as much as my inaction."

Dropping his eyes to the ground momentarily, Cid thought quickly, "Hmmm," With a pause, he crossed his arms with as much control as he could muster, he spoke, "Hey, you know what? You remember when I told you to stop that silent shit?" With a nod, the blond confirmed the statement before Cid stepped closer to him and yelled, "Forget it! Keep your yap shut!" Turning to reach the trees before nightfall, Cid finished as he walked briskly, "It ain't like I got enough problems without you adding your _inaction_ to it!"

Hearing nothing behind him, he glanced to see no one there. With a mumble of, "Thank Gaia you got the hint to leave me the fuck alone," He rubbed his hair and grimaced as he realized the grease still on his hands.

Reaching a clearing still within sight of the crashed plane, Cid began gathering loose leaves and small branches to make himself a fire to fight the quickly cooling air. After making himself a fire-pit, he began the search for his lighter. Patting himself down hastily, he discovered his lighter wasn't on him; he must've left it back at the plane. Slouching in defeat, a click of a lighter being lit startled him from his self-pity.

"Holy shit!" Once again grabbing at his chest, Cid eyed the blond, "Stop fucking sneaking up on me!"

After lighting the fire, green-eyed Cloud began fanning the flames with his hand as he tilted his head, "You told me not to talk."

With a huff, the pilot spat, "Shut up."

"You are confusing me. Do you want me to talk or not talk?"

Thinking back to everything that happened in the last couple of months, he rubbed his hands on his pants to attempt to get some of the grease off. Lately, if it wasn't Sephiroth talking about his former glory as a warrior and Aerith not letting him out of her sight, or Tifa talking about the baby and even Shera wanting a baby of her own, then it was Zack complaining about married life. For some reason, the group seemed to think that he cared to hear all their problems.

Staring over the new fire to the green eyes that focused on him, he regretted what the group had gone through, after all, Cloud seemed like a likeable guy until he turned evil and tried to kill them all. His new protector stayed perfectly still, waiting for an answer to his question.

With a sigh, Cid relented, "You can talk. Just don't go tellin me all your problems."

Standing up, the blond asked, "Are you hungry?"

Finding a comfortable spot, Cid lay over on his side, watching the flames, "Don't tell me that ya got a sandwich in your pants pocket?"

Pure seriousness covered the blonde's face as he responded, "I do not."

"It was a joke."

"A joke?"

"Yeah, a joke. Ya know… something funny."

"I know what a joke is, but that was not a joke… nor was it funny."

With a sigh, he said, "Yeah it was! It's just that you- … Never mind." Cid sat in strangely comfortable silence with the blond as the flames licked the cool mountain air. Finally breaking the silence, he asked, "You were saying something about food?"

Looking up from the fire, and his now seated position, he stated, "I have hunting skills that could be of service."

With a wave of his hand, Cid shooed him, "Then get to it. I'm hungry and we don't want the _others_ to hate you more for allowing me to starve to death."

With the virtually silent sound of his wings beating at the air, the blond was gone. Cid couldn't help but roll his eyes, but he wasn't sure if he was rolling his eyes at himself for his complete disregard for the other's feelings or if it was aimed at the blond for his willingness to please those he so easily tried to kill.

Fatigue, stress and hunger played a part in his inability to keep his eyes open and in no time at all he was lost in the dark relief of slumber.

"I believe this is done enough for you to eat."

With a jerk, his eyes burst open as he panted in yet another startle from the blond, "Fuck!"

Handing over the cooked meat, the blond asked matter-of-factly, "You knew that I was returning with food, did you not?"

Taking the stick holding the dead animal, Cid cleared his throat before saying anything, "It's not that, but you fucking scared me again." Watching as the blond sat down on the other side of the fire, he took a bite of the well cooked meat. He wanted to compliment the man/monster for his good job on not only catching but cooking the animal, but the words got caught in his throat, like any compliment to anyone.

Instead of a compliment, however, he offered a bite of food to the man across from him. Tentatively taking the stick, the blond bit into the tender morsel and he offered it right back to the pilot with a simple, "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah." Just like with compliments, the art of turning generosity back to himself, making him look like the nice one was always a defensive maneuver on his part. It was something that Shera saw past and the rest of the group seemed to see past as well. "Just don't think it'll happen all the time."

Watching the green eyes sparkle from the light of the fire as the man watched the flames dance, Cid's curiosity got the better of him. "So is this what you're going to do with your life? Just following me around? Saving me from myself?"

Slowly blinking, the green eyes met his, "I do not know what to do with the gift that was given to me by this body's original owner. He did not leave me with any instructions like he did for Zackary Fair and Tifa Lockheart-Fair."

Laying back down, Cid picked at the pieces of meat that were stuck in his teeth. Contemplation was not his strong suit, but he tried his best, "How about finding a nice woman and settlin' down?"

Drawing his knees to his chest, the blond spoke sadly, "This body is drawn to one female and she is taken by another because of the wishes of Cloud Strife. So any other possibility seems impossible."

With a laughing huff, the words left his mouth before he could stop them, "Yeah, well ya saw to that well enough didn't ya?" Seeing hurt cross the young features of the blond, Cid wanted to kick himself for what he'd said, but he didn't try to reel the words back, instead he offered, "What about finding a job or something to do besides following me, Zack and Seph around?"

Tightening his grip around his drawn up knees, the blond laid his ear to his shoulder and remarked, "That seems impossible as well."

Rolling over, getting comfortable with the fire warming his back, Cid offered one last bit of advice before slumber took him again, "It don't sound like it's just the body, but the occupant that's not willing to find any other way. Get your shit together and get moving with life cause it's shorter than ya think." With a glance over his shoulder, Cid finished, "Don't take life for granted and don't let Cloud's sacrifice be for nothin."

The next morning, the smoke from the dying fire choked him as he lifted one eyelid to unwillingly survey his surroundings. The early morning sun crested on the horizon as the chilled air began to warm. Not seeing the blond, Cid slowly unfurled from the tight ball he'd rolled into to fight the cold, with a well-earned moan of his muscle fibers protesting.

Tidying up after the heated embers, he kicked dirt over it a few times confirming the full death of the campfire. Stretching out a few more sore muscles, he consciously made himself aware of his surroundings. He didn't want another jump-scare from the winged man again. Trudging back to the plane wreck, he searched for any sign that he wasn't alone. It wasn't that he didn't want to be alone, but the silence was weird after spending the evening with the green-eyed Cloud over a campfire.

"Hiya Cid!"

"Motherfucker!"

Flinching from the exclamation, Zack said, "Well that wasn't necessary."

Dropping his eyes, he started for the plane again, "It's not you. That damned blond kept scaring the fuck out of me yesterday. I'm just a little on edge."

Rubbing the back of his head, Zack followed behind the pilot, "Oh, well that makes sense. Sorry then." As silence was not his strongest asset, the brunet cleared his throat, "Shera called yesterday and I would've been here sooner, but Tifa had me on diaper duty while she ran the front register of our new weapon and item shop in town."

"Whatever." Luckily Zack couldn't see Cid's eyes roll as he anticipated the oncoming onslaught of complaints.

"I have a question going back to what we were talking about a couple of days ago. What do you do to let Shera know that you need attention?"

With a sigh, Cid huffed, "I fucking tell her to listen to me."

"No, that's not what I mean. I mean _attention_."

Stopping in his tracks, Cid turned on him, "I don't care that your wife is too caught up about that little blond bundle of drool. I don't care that Tifa prefers spending time with the _cutey-patootie_ poop machine. I don't care that she only thinks of Cloud when you _try_ to feel her up. I. Don't. Care!"

"But-"

"No buts! Just let me get my shit and you can take me back to civilization."

"Geez, tell me how you really feel…"

Cid narrowed his eyes at the taller man, "I'm not apologizing for what I said to him or to you!"

"Okay Mister Grumpy. Let's go." Waiting until he was ready, Zack wrapped his arms around Cid's chest as he willed his impressive red and black wings into existence again and fully spread them out, taking to the sky.

Bidding Zack goodbye before entering his house, Cid threw his gear in the corner and screamed, "Shera!"

Not getting an answer, he assumed that she was out back working on the broken buggy so he took the opportunity to get himself cleaned up. After his shower, he scratched at the scruff on his face. Needing a shave, but not having the desire to do it, he exited the bathroom and headed for the kitchen for a bite to eat, only to be accosted by a pair of green eyes. The blond stood at the kitchen sink, holding a glass of water. Not really startled this time, he was only irritated, "Didn't you get enough of my company last night?"

Handing a cup of steaming coffee to the pilot, Cloud stated, "I've been thinking about something."

Sipping at the delicious cup of java, Cid sat at the kitchen table and pulled the bowl of freshly cooked eggs to him, taking a large spoonful to his mouth, he spoke around the food, "Yeah?"

Watching as the hungry man greedily dipped his rolled up piece of toast into the jelly he'd set out, the blond reasoned, "Yes. What if they could have Cloud Strife back?"

All his movements stopped, food forgotten after the wondering question. Wasn't this the whole reason that Cloud had willed Zack and Tifa together? As far he knew, it was because Cloud wasn't able to be here with the living any longer. But now this winged, green-eyed version of him had posed a question that he'd not brought up before now.

A drop of jelly fell to the table cloth as Cid tried to process the question, "Say that again?"

"I have observed Zackary Fair and Tifa Lockheart-Fair and they do not appear to be living as was instructed by Cloud Strife." Pulling out a chair and sitting in front of the stunned man, the blond continued, "I was flying around and considered what you said. You know, last night before you fell asleep and began to drip liquid from your mouth."

"Yeah, yeah. I drool in my sleep! Get to the point already."

"I have remembered something that I gleaned from Jade before her death. For that reason, I must speak with the Cetra about this. There might possibly be a way to either communicate with, or resurrect the one who is considered dead."

Dumbfounded, Cid muttered, "...Well strip me down and spank me stupid."

Rising from the table Cloud took Cid's arm and pulled him to standing, "Very well, but I do not know how that is of any help."

Yanking his arm from his grasp, Cid burst out, "Git your hands off me! I wasn't _telling_ you to do that. It's an expression that people say when they're surprised."

"Oh. I understand." Sitting back down, the blond asked, "Could you help me get into contact with the Cetra?"

Running his hands through his hair, Cid stuttered, "Um, y-yeah. I've got Aerith's number around here somewhere."

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 _Reviews, critiques and flames are welcome. I absolutely love all reviews about the story as it gives me motivation, I use good constructive criticism to help my writing improve and I feed the flames to the fires of my imagination._


	2. Indentured Blame

Disclaimer: I do not now or before and most likely not in the future, own Final Fantasy, Square Enix or any of the characters.

A/N: I'm not planning to make this near as long as Nexus was. Whether I am able to keep that promise is up to the deadly creativity-swallowing dust bunnies under my bed and if they let me compose a fully functioning story. By the way, the events of this chapter are happening in roughly chronological order as I have them laid out.

(I was just wondering if anyone ever noticed the reference to Final Fantasy X-2 when I originally made Cloud's wings silver. If you noticed, let me know in the comments.)

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"Should you ever find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, jealousy, lies and insecurities… Don't be mad. Remember, things could be worse: You could be them." – Anonymous

 **Nexus of Fate**

Chapter 2

~Indentured Blame~

Aerith slowly lowered the phone back to the countertop. Sephiroth rounded the corner as he started for the sink to begin washing the dinner dishes, he asked, "Who was that?"

Distracted, she failed to hear him enter. She'd already called out to the lifestream, trying to find the mother that contacted her before. She needed to find answers, but her calls remained ignored. Her need to go to the church where her connection was strongest in this part of the world over-took her emotions momentarily. Turning to leave, she ran into Sephiroth's chest and bounced back into the counter with a squeak.

Running his hands up her arms, the silver haired man asked anxiously, noting her paled face, "Are you alright?"

"Umm, I just need to…" She didn't know what to say. Cid had put a question of doubt in her mind about what she knew of the lifestream and now she needed to pray. She needed to find answers where she didn't have any.

"Aerith?"

"Oh, umm I need to go to the church."

"Allow me to get my boots and I will accompany you."

"NO!"

Alarm and anger crossed his face as he shuddered at her outburst and insisted, "It is not safe for you to go alone at this time of night."

Knowing that Sephiroth would never let her leave the house without him this late in the evening, she reluctantly accepted his offer.

During the walk, Sephiroth tried again to find out what was bothering the woman he loved. After everything that happened, she had adjusted well except for the fact that she kept him under her watchful eye almost constantly. It was as if she didn't trust him, that the green-eyed version of him wasn't gone for good. He could understand on a certain level because he himself was scared that that part of Jenova hadn't been completely defeated. However the fact that she didn't let him go anywhere without a thorough survey of what he would be doing and who he would be going with quickly became a part of their routine – a routine that began to grate on his nerves.

Part of him hated that she didn't seem to trust him, but there was a part of him that didn't trust her either. It was a source of stress within their relationship. He wanted to move past what had happened and start a family with the flower girl if she would ever accept his proposal of marriage, but something within her couldn't seem to allow her to follow her heart.

Now, as they walked to the church at this dangerous time, he wondered what had spooked her into needing to talk to the planet so late at night.

"Are you going to tell me what has brought this on?"

"Huh?"

Pulling on her arm, he stopped her in her tracks, "I would like to know is happening that you need to go to the church this late."

Breaking eye contact with him for a short time, she answered almost too quietly for him to hear, "It's about… Cloud…? Maybe."

Thinking he'd not heard her correctly, he raised an eyebrow in a questioning glare, "Did you say-?"

"-Can we please just go?! I really need to see what is happening," Pulling her arm, his hand gripped tighter, but she still fought to free herself. Desperation crept up her back until she snapped, "Seph! Let me go!"

Releasing her, he followed her quickened pace to the church, "I trust that you will tell me as soon as possible?"

Not stopping until she reached the outer doors to the dilapidated building, she nodded to him as she entered and began to feverishly talk to the planet. Taking a seat close by, watching over her while she prayed, he tried his best to remain calm. His thoughts raced, was the lifestream in danger? Was Cloud's soul in jeopardy or was Cloud trying to warn them of an emergency?

Without realizing it, he'd wrung his hands so tightly that his knuckles cracked. Aerith's green eyes focused on him, filled with worry, "Seph. We have a situation that I don't exactly know how to deal with."

Rising to his full height, the impressive man pulled from his experience of stressful military situations and wound in his emotions. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Laying the baby down in his bassinette, Tifa strained a grin as Junior finally slumbered. Stretching her back, she tried loosening her muscles that were tight after fighting for well over two hours to get the fussy baby back to sleep. She'd fed him, burped him, walked the floor with him, bounced, patted, sung and rocked him until she just wanted to pass out from exhaustion.

Glancing at the clock, she noted that it was almost time to get up, so as usual she had another sleepless night. Falling like a limp mess on the large bed, she lay on her stomach thanking Gaia that Zack wasn't home from picking Cid up after his plane crash yet. This way, she had the entire bed to herself and she didn't have to pull a pillow over her head to drown out his snoring. She silently noted to herself that Cloud's snore had been quieter and… she missed it.

Feeling the deep calling of sleep, she sighed and allowed herself to drift off until the sound of the downstairs door slammed shut.

Deep down, she cringed. She knew it was Zack, back from his over-night rescue. She tried not to grit her teeth and yell at him as he noisily made his way up the stairs in their small house above the store they operated. She told herself that it was just his boisterous nature.

It wasn't that she didn't love him, the whole situation was just weird to her after seeing her blond lover at the wedding ceremony in ghost form. She couldn't help but feel her skin crawl when Zack touched her. She would smile, she would say that she loved him, but she just couldn't make her emotions give herself completely over to him. She made up various reasons and many excuses that she couldn't be with him intimately, and she was quickly running out of stall tactics. Sure, he would sigh and turn the other cheek, but she could tell that he was beginning to resent her and that was something that she couldn't make herself accept. His friendship was one thing she wasn't willing to lose.

However, to her, the whole thing just felt wrong, forced and… false.

This morning though, Zack's notion of tip-toeing was like a large dog fetching a ball that it's owner just threw. Of course the baby began to rustle and as he opened the bedroom door, she instinctively shhh-ed him… right before the wailing began again.

Rolling over to her back, she covered her face with her hands and fought the urge to cry and scream at the same time. However, she couldn't stop the frustration that built up and she yelled, "Damn it Zack!"

Seeing the error he'd made, he began to apologize upon her deaf ears, "Oh, crap Tifa. I thought you'd be awake since the store opens in ten minutes."

Throwing her hands to her sides, she stayed laying on her back as she let out a tirade, "He's been up all night! I just got him to sleep and now I have to work to earn money for this family!" Sitting up, she glared at him, "And you come back here all noisy and wake him up! I've had it!"

"Tifa I'm sorry that-"

"Shut up! I can't take this anymore!" As her emotions began to bubble she let the words fumble out in a tense stream, "He won't sleep, you won't leave me alone and I still have the books on the new stock to do for the store."

"Tifa-"

"No Zack!" Picking up the baby, his fussing seemed to worsen as she bounced him on her shoulder and he began to cry louder.

"Here, let me try so that you can go wash your face." Taking Junior into his arms, his fussing seemed to abate which only gave Tifa a deeper level of bitterness as she ran for the bathroom and slammed the door. Standing there with the infant in one of his arms, Zack glanced down to the bright blue eyes that resembled his father identically. Swallowing a lump, he smiled at the infant and spoke through the door, "I'll take care of the shop. Just try and get some sleep. Me and the little guy will get that stock put up and everything." Not getting a response, his fingers ran down the rough wooden door as he spoke just above a whisper, "I'll make everything okay again, I promise."

In the bathroom, Tifa tried to ignore the silent baby and the pleading man. Leaning on the sink, she watched as a few tears dripped to the porcelain. Waiting until they went back downstairs, she finally exited the bathroom to get out of her sleep deprived pajamas. Zack wasn't incompetent, but his kind nature would often get out of hand and he would end up talking to people for hours instead of working. The duties of running a business and household would never get done unless she did them. The weight of responsibilities and the past burdens of memories pulled her down further than what she was willing to let Zack know.

Wiping her face, she pulled a brush through her hair and tied it back at the base of her neck. A deep breath and a few push-ups got her mind in a less tormenting place and more to business-as-usual. She would have to accept her fate to be married to her lover's best friend, a man she did love, but was not in love with, despite Cloud's best efforts from beyond the grave. Zack just wasn't the man she wanted more than anything else. However, they would raise Cloud's son together and she would have to allow a marriage consummation eventually.

Making her way down the stairs, Tifa's eyes rested on her husband and her son. While unlocking the door to the store, the baby squealed when Zack winked at him with his large smile that always brightened the room. Watching for a moment, she swallowed down her feelings for Cloud and made her way to her husband, surprising him with a quick kiss, she said solemnly, "I'm sorry."

Patting the back of small blond in his arms, Zack said slowly and heart-felt, "No, I'm sorry."

Clearing her throat, Tifa strained to get the words out that seemed to stick in her throat every time she tried to say them, "How about we get a babysitter this weekend and take some time for o-ourselves." Although she knew what the weekend would end up meaning for Zack, it would mean something completely different for her - finally saying good bye to her one true love, Cloud.

With a smile, Zack beamed, "That sounds great. I'm sure that Shera wouldn't mind watching little Cloud for a couple of days."

The sound of her lover's name on his lips set up a fight for her to keep her tears at bay. Turning away just in time so that Zack wouldn't see her face of disappointment and anger, she grit her teeth and replied as cheerfully as she could while rounding the counter, "Then it's a d-date."

* * *

Shera rustled restlessly in the garage while she heard Cid argue with the silver-winged Cloud. Although she never really met Cloud before, this newer version of him weirded her out on a deep level of her gut. He was nice and never touched her, but the way he stared at nothing in particular and the way he just stood in place while she moved around the room made her nervous. Perhaps she'd mention it to Cid, she knew he felt the same, but after knowing the real Cloud shortly before the happenings here in town would make him understand why she wanted him to order the blond away permanently.

After being on the phone with Aerith, Cid's demeanor changed and so she sought refuge out and away from both men. Tinkering on the airship, or the buggy, always cleared her mind and so the sound of the phone ringing jarred her from her contemplation. Quickly wiping her grease-covered hands, she reached for the receiver, "Hello?"

" _Hiya Shera!_ "

"Hello Zack. How are you?"

" _Hey I have a question. Are you busy this weekend?_ "

"Not really. Why?"

" _Well me and Tifa are planning a little alone time for a couple of days and need a baby sitter. Interested?_ "

With a small smile, she nodded and said with a fair amount of giddiness, "Of course!"

" _Great, I'll come drop him off with his bag and bottles on Friday afternoon. So that gives you a few days to get Cid ready for the idea._ "

"Okay, I look forward to seeing the little guy and I'm sure that Cid won't mind." To say that she was excited was a bit of an underestimation. She loved babies almost more than being an engineer and master mechanic. It was only a matter of time that she would wear her own husband down so that she could have her own child. Until then though, she took every opportunity to watch over baby Cloud that she could.

After hanging up, she was startled by a voice behind her, "Who was that?"

Jumping and turning, Shera almost slapped at the man before he could touch her, but stopped herself before her hand could make contact. Noticing that it was only Cid, she signed in relief, "Oh, it was just Zack. He and Tifa are taking a weekend off and he asked me to babysit."

Cid suddenly paled and reached up and rubbed at his shoulder, "Oh…"

"It won't be so bad. You know I love watching the baby."

"It's not… It's not the baby… It's just that I just got off the phone with Aerith."

"Oh, does she want to watch the baby instead of me?"

Shaking his head, Cid muttered, "No, it's, ah, nothing… never mind, forget I said anything."

Watching as Cid fidgeted in place, the hair on Shera's arms rose as the silver-winged blond walked in to the garage and asked politely, "Before I leave, is there anything that I may help you with Shera Highwind?"

With a glare, Shera spoke a little more harshly than she intended, "No. I don't need your help."

* * *

 _Reviews, critiques, and flames are welcome. I absolutely love all reviews about the story as it gives me motivation, I utilize good constructive criticism to help my writing and I feed the flames to the fires of my imagination!  
_


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